DISGRACE ✴ kim rian

58 ─── ˡⁱᵇᵉʳᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ

Rian entered the house in a storm of emotions, his mind racing as his frustration and anger boiled over. He had just left the hospital, still haunted by Mi-hee’s condition, and the weight of everything crashing down on him seemed unbearable. He hadn't even realized how much the anger had taken hold of him until he stepped into the silent, cold grandeur of his home.

His mother was sitting at the living room table, reading through some documents, her expression as composed and calculating as always. Her sharp eyes flicked up when she heard Rian enter, her lips curling into the faintest smirk.

"Where have you been, Rian?" she asked, her voice smooth, almost mocking. "Were you caught up between who you wanted to be with? Jae-i or Mi-hee?"

The words hit Rian like a slap, but he didn’t flinch. Instead, his frustration bubbled up, and before he could stop himself, he snapped.

"Don’t pretend like you care," he seethed, his voice shaking with fury. "You’ve never cared about anyone but yourself and your precious empire. You don’t even know what it’s like to love someone, to care for them. I’d rather you just abandon me like Dad did than continue to act like this… like you’re holding me hostage to your dream of the perfect heir."

His mother’s face remained stoic at first, but the words pierced deeper than he intended. A cold silence stretched between them, and for a brief moment, Rian thought she might stay composed, might dismiss him like she always did.

But then, her expression cracked. Her eyes flared with anger, her face turning red as she stood up, her hand raised in a swift motion.

The slap came without warning, stinging his cheek hard enough that his head jerked to the side. The force of it shocked him, but the fire inside him only grew stronger. He wiped the sting away, his lips curling into a sneer.

"Go ahead and slap me," he spat, anger saturating every word. "You think you can control me with your money, your power? I’m done. I can’t stop being your son, but I can stop being your heir. Do you hear me? I’m done."

Her face contorted with disbelief, her cold façade faltering for a moment. She stepped forward, desperate, trying to regain control of the situation, trying to maintain her hold on him.

"Rian, you can’t be serious," she said, her voice trembling with a rare vulnerability. "You don’t understand what you’re saying. You’re throwing everything away. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment—"

But Rian cut her off, his eyes blazing with a fire she couldn’t extinguish. He remembered Mi-hee’s words, her suggestion that he could break free from the cycle, from the toxic patterns that defined his life. He remembered the way she had urged him to find his own path, to stop living for other people’s expectations. It was that moment, that conversation, that gave him the strength to make this final break.

"No, Mom," he said, his voice low but filled with raw determination. "I’m not throwing anything away. I’m finally taking control of my own life. I’m not your puppet anymore. I don’t want to be your perfect heir. Not if it means sacrificing who I am, who I care about. I’m done with your empire. You can keep it. It’s never been mine, and it never will be."

His mother stood frozen, her mouth slightly open, the words she wanted to say caught in her throat. For the first time in a long while, she was speechless. Rian didn’t care. He wasn’t afraid of her anymore. The shackles that had tied him to her—her expectations, her control—had broken, and for the first time in his life, he felt free.

He turned away from her, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I’m leaving. And this time," he said, voice steady, "I’m not coming back."

With that, Rian walked out of the house, leaving behind the gilded cage his mother had built for him. He didn’t know where he was going, but he knew one thing for sure—he was no longer bound by the weight of her empire, her expectations, or her manipulative love. He was free.

And for the first time in his life, that freedom felt liberation.

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ